Today we’d like to introduce you to Brianna ‘Bre Nicole J.
Hi Brianna, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
How did it begin for me? How did I get started? Well for me it all began at a high school in metro Detroit called Southfield High; where I became interested in the field of radio/broadcasting and journalism. I was mesmerized by our high school’s radio program where I joined the team in the programming department. After graduating high school, I attended Western Michigan University for a Bachelor in Arts and Science and Specs Howard School of Media Arts in 2016. While in college, I started my own nonprofit organization in the state of Michigan called SOS Saving Our Sisters that focuses on bringing awareness and the healing process of domestic violence and sexual assault. Although I have had a personal history with sexual abuse and emotional abuse, little did I know I would soon be facing my own private battles with physical domestic violence early on in my radio career.
However, it was radio that fueled my passion. I will never forget one of the greatest radio personalities and comedians in the city of Detroit once told me, radio is not what you do, it’s who you are. You become the voice of the streets and of the people in radio. It is your business to know all the business and to impact the lives of others in an empowering and enlightening way.
After graduating college, I received a big internship offer to become apart of Detroit’s Today’s Best Music and More 96.3 WDVD Blaine Fowler Morning Show as an assistant producer for the radio morning show. My internship lasted there for six months. During those six months, I applied consistently to every radio station in Detroit and in the state of Michigan. This landed me with an opportunity at Lansing, Michigan’s Power 96.5 Hip Hop Station as an overnight and weekend midday radio personality. I would drive every other day an hour away from Detroit, Michigan to Lansing, Michigan just to do a 5 hour shift on air. It was such a joy and fulfilling experience. I later resigned from this position and joined as one of the original and youngest radio personalities for Detroit’s Throwback Hip Hop and R&b station 1051 The Bounce that first flipped and launched in 2016. I was there for two years. Although my radio career was short-lived, I haven’t given up hope or faith of eventually getting back into the industry and reigning in radio once again. Since radio, I have taken a new venture into modeling, blogging and acting.
I will be relaunching my entertainment lifestyle and fashion blog in the winter of 2022 called Insidethegirlsroom.com and will be in a few feature films coming soon on streaming services. I have radio to thank for contributing to my acting and modeling career.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has been a journey. But isn’t life a journey? Life is one big obstacle course and if you have a moral compass God is that light, that guide that gets you through the obstacle of life. There were many obstacles and challenges I have faced from domestic violence, homelessness, mental health, grief, emotional abuse, fake friends sleeping with people I’ve dated, being lied to, and lack of finances. There’s one particular situation in my radio career where I was seeing a guy who became emotionally and physically abusive towards me. He’s in the industry, a local comedian and actor and I didn’t come forth about it due to being blackballed. I was also afraid of not being heard because of who he was in the industry. I still will not disclose his name in this interview because I will allow some decency for myself. However, there were two occasions when I walked into my job the radio station… with sunglasses on in the wintertime. Thank God I did the night shift. I also believe this dysfunction caused me to lose my job at the station as well as other challenges that I was going through during the time. After being in that situation, my mental health declined. It took me two years to recovery mentally and emotionally from all the trauma that I had endured. Over the course the course of those years, I took a spiritual journey and focused on healthy natural hair care and began to dive more into my natural talented gifts such as acting and modeling.
Thus far, I am learning to just work. I attended my first acting class November 13th-14th in like ten years. I was so focused on radio during my college years. It wasn’t until I got let go that I started pursuing acting again. Had to even sign a few NDAs this year. One with modeling and another with film. Definitely won’t be posting about every role I get until it’s showtime.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My work includes modeling, acting, blogging, and a checklist of a few airchecks from my radio days. I’m an artist and bulge my focus into my pursuing my dreams. I also have some marketing behind my belt as well. Radio brings that business side out of you as well.
What does success mean to you?
Success is like what Jay Z said treat everything like your first project. Never lose hope or faith in your dreams or goals and be determined to conquer everything in your pathway. It’s hard work and perseverance. It’s the joy and the struggle that pushes you to deliver your gifts. It’s never giving up when things get tough. Success is a marathon and everyday you have to push yourself to be all you can be. Success is nothing without God at the forefront.
Contact Info:
- Email: brenicolej@gmail.com
- Website: insidethegirlsroom.com (Launch January 2022)
- Instagram: brejnicole_
- Facebook: Bre Nicole Jay / Inside The Girls Room
- Twitter: BreNicoleJ
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/bre-nicole-j/aircheck-bre-mixdown-1. https://soundcloud.com/bre-nicole-j/grooves
Image Credits:
The first photo credit goes to Lirisi Photography The second photo credit goes to Lirisi Photography The third photo credit goes to Lirisi Photography The fourth photo credit goes to Lirisi Photography The fifth photo credit goes to Roketaindustries The sixth photo credit goes to Roketaindustries The seventh photo credit goes to Roketaindustries The eighth photo credit Amazingly Candid LLC The ninth photo credit Perelli Vision
